Most of us have heard of Casanova. The name is often used to describe a man who has many lovers or a man who is a promiscuous and unscrupulous lover.
But who was he really? Where did he come from and what was this famously notorious person all about? The answer can be found at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor Museum in their ongoing exhibit, Casanova: The Seduction of Europe. The educational and revealing exhibition takes the visitor on a “Grand Tour” similar to that taken by Casanova in the 18th century.
L’Italo-Americano spoke with the docent who is responsible for documenting this delightful exhibition in her witty, entertaining and informative PowerPoint presentation I viewed at San Francisco’s Metropolitan Club and also at the Lafayette Library. San Francisco Fine Arts Museums docent Carol Porter takes the viewer into Casanova’s life, loves, and a staggering number of his escapades. The Legion’s exhibit comprises over 80 items described as “Gathering together paintings, sculpture, works on paper, furnishings, porcelain, silver, and period costume, The Seduction of Europe will bring the visual wealth of Casanova’s world to life.”
Giovanni Giacomo Casanova was born April 2, 1725, in Venice, Italy, and died June 4, 1798, in Dux, Bohemia, now Duchcov, Czech Republic. Yes, he was Italian. His life is well documented in various films and books, including his own hand-written, twelve-volume autobiography, The Story of My Life.
Carol Porter begins her presentation by saying, “It is important to look at Casanova using a prism of his times and the changing morals in the 18th century, a time when there was a rise in libertinism, a disregard for authority or convention in sexual and religious matters. At that time, many men shunned the idea of gallantry or respect for women’s virtue.
“Although a ‘Casanova’, he was also a friend and supporter of women and kept his confidences about them, never revealing who they were. He was trained as a lawyer, priest, military officer, a businessman, mathematician, wit, spy, gambler, gourmand, con man, and world traveler, someone who, at a young age, learned to circumvent the rules.”
His mother, Zanetta Farussi, was an actress, opera singer, composer, successful because of her talents and probably because she was the mistress of King George II. His father, Gaetano Casanova, was a shoemaker. The story is that he was born backstage at the Teatro San Samuele in Venice where his mother was working. Young Casanova was ignored by his parents, who thought he was not too bright and was going to die, and was raised by his grandmother in a home on the Calle Malipiero. He grew up to be quite mischievous, constantly reinventing himself. He had a rebellious mind but did receive his doctorate of law at age sixteen.
Casanova is described as having “a dissolute lifestyle, a free-spirited existence filled with random adventure and scandal,” a life that culminated in his autobiography. The text established him as the epitome of the libertine and made his name synonymous with “womanizer” or “playboy.” Despite this description, his nature is worth investigating, especially when drawing parallels to today’s world.
It could be said that Casanova relentlessly pursued trouble, duping foreigners in gambling halls; conducting an elaborate affair with a nun, indulging in the occult and making public statements of heresy. Casanova’s notorious lifestyle eventually led to his being arrested for impiety, tried by the Inquisition, and imprisoned in 1755 for nearly a year before he escaped.
Casanova logged more than forty thousand miles on the road over six decades. In addition to Italy, France, and England, he journeyed to Constantinople, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, Russia, Germany, and Spain. He visited many of Europe’s political and intellectual centers hoping to find fresh adventures, valuable connections, and opportunities to make new fortunes.
How did Casanova travel back in the day? Likely a mode of transportation was a sedan chair, one of which is included in the exhibition, with ornate carving and gilt indicating it was probably made in 18th century Italy. Also exhibited are painting of 18th century Venice by Canaletto.
From 1785 to 1798, Casanova lived in Bohemia, working as a librarian in the château of Dux. His legacy would be remembered in his autobiography, later renamed Histoire de Ma Vie. The book covers Casanova’s life only through 1774, although the full title of the book is Histoire de ma vie jusqu’à l’an 1797, History of my Life until the year 1797. Although Casanova was Venetian, the book is written in French which was the dominant language in the upper class at the time.
Today, the book is highly acclaimed for its portrait of the enlightenment society in continental Europe, a look at Casanova’s encounters with luminaries of his time, including Pope Clement XIII, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Mozart.
When Casanova died in 1798 at age 73, his last words are said to have been, “I have lived as a philosopher and I die as a Christian.” Buried at Dux, the exact place of his grave was forgotten over the years and remains unknown today.
Traveling over forty thousand miles, some of which was in an 18th-century, über-type sedan chair, it is no wonder the Legion of Honor exhibition is titled Casanova: The Seduction of Europe. The exhibit is on display through May 20, 2018, and is certainly worth exploring.
Legion of Honor Museum
100 34th Avenue, San Francisco https://legionofhonor. famsf.org
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